Hoop Group Labor Day Jam Fest Report

*All 2021 prospects unless noted

Will Corley 6’0 Combo Guard (Pure Basketball/Piscataway HS): The southpaw stood out in Pure Basketball’s close loss to York Ballers. Corley scored at the rim in a variety of ways in this contest. He moves very well without the ball. Corley scored left hand layups on separate plays, backdoor cutting on his opponent on one, and on the other, he face cut the defender. He used a soft floater in the paint when he couldn’t get all the way to the rim. Also showcased his post-up ability when he had a smaller defender on him, scoring with a nice drop-step in the post. Had a key layup late in the game to bring his team within two points, taking it coast to coast for a layup. Finished the game with 17 points. Also made an impact on the defensive side of the ball. Took advantage of a bad inbounds pass under the opponents’ basket to steal it and score an and-1. Had another steal towards the end of the game where he took the ball away from his opponent when they weren’t strong with it. Despite his size, Corley still made an impact on the glass, showing a knack for being in the right spots at the right time. Had four rebounds in the contest. D3 schools in a league like the Atlantic East should be checking out Corley. Could get schools in a league like the NJAC to show more interest if he can develop a three-pointer to space the floor better for his teams.

Ron Flood Jr. 6’4 Wing (Pure Basketball/Union HS): Flood was solid for Pure Basketball in their game against York Ballers. Doesn’t shoot threes at a high volume, but hit a smooth trey from the left wing in this one. Has good form on his shot, keeping his elbow in. Also showcased his ability to get to the rim. Had a nice drive from the wing, using a right jab-step move to get by his defender and score at the rim. On another play, he again scored from the right wing on a straight line drive. Flood had nine points in the contest. Defensively, he rebounded the ball well, putting a body on the opponents when a shot went up in order to get an advantageous position. Had four rebounds in the game. Also had two nice plays defensively, earning a steal by getting on the floor for a loose ball, in addition to blocking an opponent’s shot when they tried to score a layup over him. D3 schools in a league like the Atlantic East should be tracking Flood. Could get schools in a league like the NJAC to show more interest if he can improve his dribbling to become more of a secondary ball handler in an offense, in addition to being able to create more for himself and teammates off the dribble in the halfcourt.

Kody Kratzer 6’3 Combo Guard (L&L Running Rebels/Palmerton HS): Kratzer showcased a versatile skill-set in L&L Running Rebels' win against Connecticut Elite-TS. Finished strong at the rim on several occasions. Had a nice drive in the first half, getting his defender into the air with a shot fake to score at the rim. Had another play driving to the rim with his left hand using a spin move to score an and-1. Showed off his in-between game with a smooth mid-range pull-up from the foul line in the first half. Kratzer also was very good on the offensive glass, snagging two offensive rebounds. On the first offensive rebound, he made the opponents pay by scoring on a putback; on the other, Kratzer got fouled going back up for a layup, which he followed by making both free throws. He had 14 points in the contest. Is also a solid playmaker. Had a very nice play in the first half when the defense collapsed on him in the lane, finding his teammate for an easy layup with a behind the back pass. Also found a teammate for an open three-pointer in the left corner off dribble penetration. D3 schools in a league like the MAC should be following Kratzer. D2 schools in a league like the PSAC could show more interest if he can improve his three-pointer so he can make them at a higher volume to space the floor better for his teams.

Andrew Makrides 6’6 Small Forward (L&L Running Rebels/ The Shipley School): Makrides was another intriguing player in L&L Running Rebels’ win over Connecticut Elite-TS. He showed a smooth stroke from three-point range, hitting a trey from the left corner in the first half. On that play, he moved from the left wing to the left corner to give his teammate a better passing angle to get him the ball when driving from the baseline. Makrides had a strong drive to the rim from the left wing, drawing the foul and making both free throws. Was in the right spot at the right time when his teammate found him open in the lane for an easy layup. He had nine points in the win. Also had two offensive rebounds in the game, making the opponents pay when they didn’t put a body on him. Defensively, he is consistently in the right spots on his rotations both for help defense and to challenge opponents’ shots. Did a good job on a number of occasions using his size to force opponents into lower percentage shots by closing out aggressively to contest their shots. D3 schools in a league like the Centennial should be keeping an eye on Makrides. Could get D2 schools to get involved if he can excel in taking on an increased offensive role at Shipley this coming season.

Drew Stover 6’7 Power Forward (Philly Pride Gold-Daly HGSL/Upper Dublin HS): Stover was impressive in Philly Pride’s win over NOVA Cavaliers-Callaghan. He made a particular impact on the glass where he finished with seven rebounds. Stover does a good job of using his strong body to box out opponents and is apt at figuring where the ball is going to come off the hoop. He also makes it very difficult for opponents to get advantageous post position on him. Stover was also solid on the offensive end, finishing with 10 points. He had a nice jump hook early in the game with his right hand. On another play, he got ahead of the defense in transition to finish with an and-1 dunk which he completed by making the free throw. Stover timed his jump well for a putback layup off a teammate’s miss in the first half. Was outstanding on the offensive glass as well, corralling three offensive rebounds. Currently holds a D2 offer from Gannon. More PSAC schools should be getting involved with Stover.

Jake Koretz 6’3 Combo Guard (Philly Pride Gold-Daly HGSL/Wyoming Seminary Prep): Koretz also played a key role in Philly Pride’s win over NOVA Cavaliers-Callaghan. He displayed a very good stroke from long range, hitting two treys in the contest. On his first trey, he stepped into the shot in transition from the right wing. His other make was an important spot-up from the left corner in the second half which gave his team momentum. Koretz also has an impressive middle game. He had a nice foul line jumper in the first half off of a spin move. Koretz scored another mid-range bucket in the first half on a two dribble pull-up with his right hand. With his ability to get to the rim, he can also make opponents pay if they guard him too closely away from the hoop. He showed this on a nice drive from the wing, getting to the rim in two dribbles to finish with his left hand. He scored 14 points in the game. D2 schools in a league like the PSAC should be tracking Koretz.

Jayson Fain 6’5 Wing (VA Premier/Carlisle School): Fain lit it up from beyond the arc in Va Premier’s win over Flint’s Finest. He had four treys in the game. Fain has very good form on his shot with a high release point. His first trey was on a spot up from the left wing. Had another one from the top of the key off a drive and kick from his teammate. Showcased his range by making a three from the right wing from NBA range when his opponent gave him too much space. When his teammate tipped the ball to him to create a steal on the defensive end, he took it the other way, splashing a three from the top of the key. Fain had a nice drive after catching the ball in the high post to draw a shooting foul. He finished the contest with 15 points. Defensively, he does a good job of challenging opponents' shots with his length and athleticism. Also has no problem putting a body on defenders when going for rebounds. Currently holds a D1 offer from NJIT. More schools in the America East as well as the Big South should be showing interest in Fain. Could get schools in a league like the CAA to show more interest if he can improve his ball handling to be counted on more as a secondary ball handler, as well as being able to create more for himself and teammates in the halfcourt.

Walker Andrews 6’1 Combo Guard 2022 (VA Premier/Virginia Episcopal School): Andrews was another effective floor spacer for VA Premier in their win over Flint’s Finest. He has great form on his shot, with the ability to get it off very quickly. Had four three-pointers in the game. In the first half, he hit a trey off of a give and go from his teammate on a dribble handoff. Showed his ability to shoot off the bounce, making a deep three using a ball screen. In the second half, Andrews had a smooth trey on an inbounds play where he came off a screen from the left block. Can also make the defense pay when they play too far out on him, which he showed with a nice one dribble pull-up from the foul line. Also had another play where he drove into the lane and got his defender up with a ball fake to score a soft floater. Had 18 points in the game. Andrews’ ball handling and passing ability also allow him to play on the ball in certain situations. He has good vision which he showed by dishing out a pair of assists. One was on a drive and kick to a teammate for a three in the first half; on the other, he found a teammate popping off of a ball screen for a three. Defensively, he moves his feet well laterally to limit opponents’ dribble penetration, and he maintains a low defensive stance when guarding the ball. He was also consistently in the right spots on his rotations for help defense when a teammate got beat. D1 schools in a league like the CAA should be keeping tabs on Andrews.

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